UCL: Zidane Reacts As Real Madrid Start Title Defense Brightly

That bright start is indeed gladdening to Coach Zinedine Zidane who has reserved special praises for his players

Real Madrid are hoping to be the first team to win the UEFA Champions League title, three times in a row and they started that quest quite brightly on Wednesday with a 3-0 win over APOEL.

That bright start is indeed gladdening to Coach Zinedine Zidane who has reserved special praises for his players; especially Cristiano Ronaldo who provided two goals for the defending champions.

"It was important for us to get the points. We started the competition eagerly. We can’t be very happy with the first half, but the second was much better. We got a good result, it was important to start well in this competition and we have done just that".

"We scored three goals and we didn’t concede any. Everyone talks about winning the third consecutive Champions League, but you have to play and fight hard in every game.

"Today we didn’t get in to it very well, especially the rhythm of the game. That's where we always make the difference, with rhythm and with the ball.

'We can’t be happy with the first half with the ball. In the second, we injected pace into it and we got a very good result," Zidane stated in his post-match assessment.

On Ronaldo, he said: "He’s a key player for us, he’s always there and always scores. I hope it stays that way".